Category: Covid-19

Governor Carney Issues Omnibus Executive Order on COVID-19 Restrictions - State of Delaware News

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Governor Carney Issues Omnibus Executive Order on COVID-19 RestrictionsDate Posted: September 3, 2020

Governor Carney Initiates Justice of the Peace Screening ProcessDate Posted: September 3, 2020

DHSS to Begin Approving Plans for Indoor Visitation at Delawares Long-Term Care FacilitiesDate Posted: September 3, 2020

Attorney General Jennings Fights Trump Administrations Attempts to Reduce Census EffortsDate Posted: September 3, 2020

$21.5 Million in Health Insurance Rebates for Individuals and Small BusinessesDate Posted: September 3, 2020

Governor Carney Formally Extends State of EmergencyDate Posted: September 3, 2020

State of Delaware, U.S. Treasury announce MOU to strengthen information sharingDate Posted: September 2, 2020

West Nile Virus Is Detected in Delaware For First Time This Year in DNRECs Sentinel ChickensDate Posted: September 2, 2020

DHSS Sponsors Recovery Events to Raise Awareness of Support for People Living with Mental, Substance Use DisordersDate Posted: September 2, 2020

Governor Carney, DPH Release New Fall Sports GuidanceDate Posted: September 1, 2020

GovernorCarney Announces Departure of CIO James CollinsDate Posted: September 1, 2020

Governor Carney Requests Federal Disaster Declaration for August StormsDate Posted: September 1, 2020

Delaware Coastal Cleanup Starts TodayDate Posted: September 1, 2020

DNREC to reopen The Point at Cape Henlopen Sept. 1Date Posted: August 31, 2020

September 1, 2020: COVID-19 BriefingDate Posted: August 31, 2020

Delawares 22nd annual Chautauqua: Womens Work: Campaigning for Social Change on Sept. 10, 11, 19 and 20, 2020Date Posted: August 31, 2020

Rates To Decrease In Delaware Affordable Care Act MarketplaceDate Posted: August 31, 2020

New Daily COVID-19 Cases, Recoveries Remain SteadyDate Posted: August 28, 2020

El programa SNAP de Delaware emitir beneficios de emergencia adicionales disponibles a partir del 31 de agostDate Posted: August 28, 2020

Governor Carney to lower Delaware flags at State buildings for Overdose Awareness DayDate Posted: August 28, 2020

Delaware Sends Wildfire Crew to New MexicoDate Posted: August 28, 2020

DNREC to Hold Virtual Public Workshop Sept. 9 to Discuss Delawares Plastic Bag Ban and Regulation DevelopmentDate Posted: August 28, 2020

Delaware Resilience Fund Application OpensDate Posted: August 27, 2020

State Auditor Kathy McGuiness Announces Formation of Auditors Office Follow-Up ProgramDate Posted: August 27, 2020

Delawares SNAP Program Will Issue Additional Emergency Benefits for Use Starting Aug. 31Date Posted: August 27, 2020

Urban forestry director on U.S. Council of 1t.orgDate Posted: August 27, 2020

National Governors Association Chooses Delaware to Participate in Adverse Childhood Experiences Learning CollaborativeDate Posted: August 26, 2020

Governor Carney Signs 25th Modification to State of Emergency DeclarationDate Posted: August 26, 2020

AG Jennings announces Honda airbag settlementDate Posted: August 25, 2020

DNREC Natural Resources Police Make Arrests in Stolen Vessel IncidentDate Posted: August 25, 2020

August 25, 2020: COVID-19 BriefingDate Posted: August 25, 2020

Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) Updates Face Mask Guidance for ChildrenDate Posted: August 24, 2020

Delaware Hunting Seasons Opening in SeptemberDate Posted: August 24, 2020

Governor Carney Announces $20 Million for Broadband InfrastructureDate Posted: August 24, 2020

Weekly COVID-19 Update Aug. 21, 2020: New Daily COVID Cases, Hospitalizations, Recoveries Remain SteadyDate Posted: August 21, 2020

DNREC Lifts Second Recreational Swimming Advisory for Rehoboth BeachDate Posted: August 21, 2020

Governors Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Board Honors County Winners of Video PSA Scholarship ContestDate Posted: August 21, 2020

The Delaware Department of Labor applies for Lost Wage Assistance ProgramDate Posted: August 21, 2020

Governor Carney Creates Resilience Fund to Assist Delawareans Affected by Severe WeatherDate Posted: August 20, 2020

DNREC Issues Recreational Swimming Advisory for Rehoboth BeachDate Posted: August 20, 2020

Delaware Aglands Foundation votes to extend district enrollment for next roundDate Posted: August 19, 2020

State of Delaware, New Castle County Launch $100M Grant Program for Small Businesses and Nonprofits StatewideDate Posted: August 19, 2020

DNREC Offers Compost Bins and Rain Barrels at Discount PricesDate Posted: August 19, 2020

August 19, 2020 COVID19 Press BriefingDate Posted: August 19, 2020

AG Jennings announces suit to protect Postal Service from disruptionsDate Posted: August 18, 2020

Governor Carney Announces Expansion of Dolly Partons Imagination Library StatewideDate Posted: August 17, 2020

Virtual Workshops Set for Delaware Climate Action PlanDate Posted: August 17, 2020

Weekly COVID-19 Update: New Daily COVID Cases Remain Below 100 for the Last Week; Critically Ill DecreasesDate Posted: August 14, 2020

Update on Tropical Storm Response and RecoveryDate Posted: August 14, 2020

Governor Carney Announces Retirement of DelDOT Secretary Jennifer Cohan After 31 Years of State ServiceDate Posted: August 14, 2020

Governor Carney Signs Legislation Banning Use of Chokeholds by Law EnforcementDate Posted: August 13, 2020

DNREC Sinks Ex-Navy and Army Freighter Turned Fishing Fleet Boat Reedville onto Delawares Artificial Reef SystemDate Posted: August 13, 2020

Wastewater, Surface Water and Drinking Water Planning Grant Proposals Now Being Accepted by DNREC, DPHDate Posted: August 12, 2020

State Treasurer Colleen Davis Marks #ABLEtoSave MonthDate Posted: August 12, 2020

Grand Jury Indicts Home Cleaning Service OwnerDate Posted: August 11, 2020

August 11, 2020 COVID19 Press BriefingDate Posted: August 11, 2020

Governor Carney, DSHA, New Castle County Announce $40 Million in Housing AssistanceDate Posted: August 10, 2020

EVENT CHANGE OF VENUEDelawares 2020 Chautauqua changed to virtual formatDate Posted: August 10, 2020

K-5 Family Crisis Therapists Engage Families, Children This SummerDate Posted: August 10, 2020

Regulations That Can Increase Affordability Of Medications AnnouncedDate Posted: August 10, 2020

Weekly COVID-19 Update: Delaware Cases, Recoveries and Deaths Remain Steady; Hospitalizations Continue to DeclineDate Posted: August 7, 2020

DNREC Offers Yard Waste Management Guidance for Debris from Tropical Storm IsaiasDate Posted: August 7, 2020

DNREC Coastal Cleanup Encourages Residents and Visitors to Clean Up Trash Close to HomeDate Posted: August 5, 2020

Governor Carney Formally Extends State of EmergencyDate Posted: August 5, 2020

Important Insurance Reminders After Tropical Storm IsaiasDate Posted: August 5, 2020

Mysterious seeds continue to show up in Delaware mailboxesDate Posted: August 4, 2020

Governor Carney Declares State of Emergency to Coordinate Tropical Storm Response and RecoveryDate Posted: August 4, 2020

Governor Carney Announces Delaware Schools May Open in Hybrid ScenarioDate Posted: August 4, 2020

El programa SNAP de Delaware emite beneficios de emergencia adicionales disponibles a partir del 31 de julioDate Posted: August 4, 2020

Tropical Storm Isaias Damage ReportingDate Posted: August 4, 2020

August 4, 2020 COVID19 Press BriefingDate Posted: August 4, 2020

The Mezzanine Gallery to Exhibit Tart by Chloe McEldowneyDate Posted: August 4, 2020

Public comment sought for Forest Action PlanDate Posted: August 3, 2020

Tropical Storm Warning for DelawareDate Posted: August 3, 2020

DelDOT Advisory for Tropical Storm ImpactDate Posted: August 3, 2020

DNRECs Basic Hunter Education Course Only Available Online and at No CostDate Posted: August 3, 2020

Governor Carney Creates Workforce Development Program for Unemployed and Underemployed DelawareansDate Posted: August 3, 2020

Navarro Urges Residents to Prepare for Tropical Storm IsaiasDate Posted: August 3, 2020

Delawares SNAP Program Issues Additional Emergency Benefits Available Starting July 31Date Posted: July 31, 2020

Weekly COVID-19 Update: DPH Continues to Announce New Cases, Recoveries, and Deaths; Decline in HospitalizationsDate Posted: July 31, 2020

DNREC Lifts Recreational Swimming Advisory for Rehoboth BeachDate Posted: July 31, 2020

Unemployment Benefits Will Decrease By $600 Per Week After August 1, 2020Date Posted: July 30, 2020

DNREC Young Environmentalists of the Year Announced at Delaware State FairDate Posted: July 30, 2020

DNREC Issues Recreational Swimming Advisory for Rehoboth BeachDate Posted: July 30, 2020

DNREC Extends Public Comment Period Until Aug. 15 on Croda Permit ApplicationDate Posted: July 29, 2020

Division of the Arts Announces 2020 Mid-Atlantic Teaching Artist Virtual RetreatDate Posted: July 29, 2020

Incoming Secretary Magarik Announces Leadership Changes at Department of Health and Social ServicesDate Posted: July 29, 2020

State Auditor McGuiness Announces Creation of a National COVID-19 Data Quality Audit TemplateDate Posted: July 28, 2020

July 28, 2020 COVID19 Press BriefingDate Posted: July 28, 2020

Delawareans report receiving mysterious packages of plant seedsDate Posted: July 27, 2020

GACEC Director on Delmarva Life Speaking About ADA and Deldhub.comDate Posted: July 27, 2020

Public Health Encourages COVID-19 Testing for Attendees of Dover Church, Church ConferencesDate Posted: July 27, 2020

Governor Carney Signs 24th Modification to State of Emergency DeclarationDate Posted: July 24, 2020

Weekly COVID-19 Update: DPH Announces New Cases, Identifies Additional Deaths Through Vital Records ReviewDate Posted: July 24, 2020

Delaware Residents Warned of Unclaimed Property ScamDate Posted: July 23, 2020

GovernorCarney Announces Hall of Fame of Delaware Women Inductees for 2020 and 2021Date Posted: July 23, 2020

Treasurer Davis Urges Change to Protect Financial Freedom of People with DisabilitiesDate Posted: July 23, 2020

DNREC Announces Killens Pond State Park Water Park to Reopen Friday After Cleaning, Negative TestsDate Posted: July 23, 2020

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Governor Carney Issues Omnibus Executive Order on COVID-19 Restrictions - news.delaware.gov

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) Summers last hurrah will look different this year inside your favorite stores. With prices slashed, retail experts believe Labor Day sales may be a sign of things to come.

WCCO found retailers using the pandemic as a way to plan for a permanent change.

The supply list is much shorter this year for Emma. Shes a third-grader who again will be learning at home.

Yeah, really different, her mom Kamara told us.

Basically just looking for something to create a study space for distance learning, she said.

Kamara admits her spending habits have changed since March. Still, not seeing a time when things return to the way they were.

Kim Sovell teaches marketing at the University of St. Thomas.

Traffic to brick and mortar stores is still down significantly by 43%, Sovell said.

She says open-air shopping centers are doing better than traditional malls. While sales climb at Target and Best Buy, Sovell says department store staples like Macys and Nordstrom face an uncertain future.

Any stores that were in trouble before the shutdown are in worse trouble now, Sovell said.

Sovell points to the steepest discounts on clothing both in-store and online where we found prices 80% off.

Were staying home a lot more and we dont have places to go, Sovell said.

Home items like appliances, electronics and paint have shown the most promise.

Whats really interesting to me is seeing some of the changes with marketing, she added.

Sovells noticed a shift to a message of safety. Its not about what youre buying but how youre doing it these days.

We caught Ann Chase on her first shopping trip beyond the grocery store where she told us shes worried about what choices she may soon have as foreclosures and empty storefronts stack up.

I hope its not a change its kind of heartbreaking when you hear about Burnsville Mall and all these other ones, Chase said.

Sovell told WCCO the holiday shopping season is expected to start earlier and last even longer this year.

She says as consumers long for normalcy, retailers believe they will embrace traditions this holiday like never before

Continued here:

The State Of Retail Stores In The Post COVID-19 Era - CBS Minnesota

Milwaukee County has seen a six-week decline in positive COVID-19 cases, signaling that measures taken by the county and theCity of Milwaukee could be helping slow the spread of the disease.

"I definitely believe that the mask ordinance is helping," said city Commissioner of Health Jeanette Kowalik. "When you look at other communities across the country, you could see the rates were better than the ones that didn't have them."

Though Kowalik did also credit other efforts, she put an emphasis on the city's mask mandate, which went into effect July 16.

A downward trend in average new positive cases per day began around the same time. The seven-day average in Milwaukee was at one of itshighest points July 11 at about 197 positive cases per day.The average has continued to drop every week since then withthe seven-day average at about 46 positive cases per day as of the end of last week.

As of Thursday, however, the city was not at a point where it met the threshold for loosening up any restrictions, according to the health department's onlinecriteria for phased reopening.

The focus on enforcingthe face mask ordinance in Milwaukee has been on businesses. Kowalik said shelooked atother cities and saw mask ordinances, and the ruleswere not equallyapplied when enforced on citizens.

"With businesses, we're not just targeting a certain part of town," she said. "Most of the initial discussions are related to complaints. We have teams of food inspectors who are assigned various zones, and they see violations."

As of Aug. 25, 25 businesses have been warned of violating the city mask ordinance. Fiesta Cafe, S.1407 FirstSt., was issued three citations at $500 each for violating the city face mask ordinance.

City of Milwaukee Health Commissioner Jeanette Kowalik holds a sign from the 1940s while speaking at a Public Safety and Health Committee meeting about coronavirus preparations March 5 at City Hall.(Photo: Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Along with the mask ordinance, the city's Common Council also voted to provide free face masks for citizens.

The health department's goal is to give every personinMilwaukee three to seven washable, cloth face masks.

The masks have a city logo on them and areproduced by a combination of local and national vendors.

While Kowalik said face masks are helping, national disease experts are cautious to make the direct connection.

"It is hard to find these causal relationships,"Nasia Safdar, a professor of infectious diseases at University of Wisconsin-Madison, told the Journal Sentinel.

Safdar said wearing masks should be considered along with other measures, such as whether people are physically distancing or staying homeand if people are wearing masks properly.

Kowalik also said a combination of things could be helping.

Milwaukee businesses will be required to meet safety standards laid out by the health department. Early adapters of these standards have been ableto open their business at full capacity, while other businesses have had to stay at the city's required 50% capacity.

Messaging has also been key.

"I think at this point messaging is where it needs to be versus where it was in April," she said.

The city has been able to provide more messages to groups that speak different languages, like the Hmong community and various Latino communities. Information instructspeople to wear face masks, remember to wash their hands and avoid touching their faces.

Kowalik noted that people also have been distancing better when at parks and other places around the city.

Still, she said, she thinks the face mask ordinance has been a big help in decreasing daily cases.

"We don't have timefor a full gold standard study," she said. "By all means academics should run studies while we're doing the work. On the ground, we need less talk, more action."

With summer coming to an end, Kowalik is concerned about an increase in COVID-19 cases as people are forced inside.

"I am extremely concerned about that," she said. "Limiting how many people are in enclosed space is going to be important."

"Cleaning high touch areas, wiping down after each use, hand washing or using sanitizer when you don't have access to a sink" are ways to stay safe when spending more time indoors, Kowalik said.

The health department is also working to keep testing for COVID-19 at a high capacity.

Kowalik spoke out against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new testing guidelines that say only symptomatic people need testing. It is important for those exposed to COVID-19 to get testing even if they are asymptomatic, Kowalik said, for tracking purposes.

More: This change in policy will kill: Experts troubled by CDC changes to COVID-19 testing guidelines

The city health department is working on having two COVID-19 testing sites put in place in October in case the National Guard testing sites go away, as planned.

Kowalik will be leaving the department for a job with a national health policy group in Washington, D.C. She said the Milwaukee Health Department is left in good hands, but still has some work to do.

Kowalik also gave a warning for people to be cautious over the upcoming Labor Day weekend.

"I know we miss loving on one another, but be mindful in interactions and do things in a distanced way," Kowalik said. "And wear a mask."

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

Read or Share this story: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2020/09/03/milwaukee-daily-new-covid-19-cases-have-trended-downward-six-weeks/5695974002/

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Milwaukee daily new COVID-19 cases have trended downward for six weeks; health commissioner says it's thanks to masks and messaging - Milwaukee...

IOWA CITY With the long Labor Day holiday upcoming and Johnson County continuing to add new COVID-19 cases in the triple digits each day, a University of Iowa Health Care epidemiologist said Thursday hes worried about students spreading the infection to other communities.

I am not very concerned about the possibility of (students) going places and bringing COVID (back) because the incidence of COVID in Iowa City and Johnson County, especially among that age group, is so high its one of the highest in the country, Jorge Salinas, infectious disease specialist and head of epidemiology at UI Hospitals and Clinics, told reporters Thursday.

The greatest risk is actually of them carrying COVID to wherever they go.

Through Wednesday, 1,142 students and 16 employees at the UI had self-reported a positive COVID-19 test this semester, which began only last week. That included 220 since just Monday exemplifying the rampant spread among the countys younger population, which swelled this month when the UI brought tens of thousands of students and faculty back to campus.

Salinas said hes hopeful UIHC which has been testing many UI students experienced a peak in infected young people about a week ago.

Since then the number of cases has decreased to some degree, but we are still hovering over nearly 100 positive cases a day, which is still a very large number, he said. So the numbers have decreased some. Some could see that as some good news. They have stopped increasing But they are still at a relatively high number. One hundred is still a meaningful number.

Johnson County on Thursday reported another 108 new COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour period continuing its now nine-day streak of triple-digit increases. Its seven-day average sits at 159 a day after its peak of 338 new cases one Aug. 26 alone, just two days after the start of the semester.

While UI administrators opted to keep this falls academic calendar unchanged starting Aug. 24 and finishing Dec. 18, although moving everyone online after Thanksgiving Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa started a week sooner on Aug. 17 in hopes of finishing the fall term entirely the day before Thanksgiving.

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In making that change, ISU and UNI nixed the Labor Day holiday and said students will have class. But UI students still have the day off, and Salinas warned them to remember theyre coming from a COVID-19 hotbed and to be cautious about where they go and who they see.

They should be extra careful about the way they socialize in the next few days, he said. They have to be extra careful about visiting their family. They should avoid visiting their family if possible, especially if those people that they were planning on visiting may include persons that are older than 50 or may have chronic medical conditions.

Specifically, Salinas urged avoiding gatherings of 10 or more people; convening outdoors if you must get together; wearing a mask; and staying at least 6 feet away from others.

If we all practice those recommendations, its pretty clear that the incidence of COVID in Johnson County and all of Iowa could decrease in the next few weeks, he said. Thats what is so interesting about the epidemiology and the prevention of COVID. We know the tools. We know what works. We just need to work together. If we work together as a society, we exercise solidarity, we can bring the numbers down.

A recent White House coronavirus task force report recommended Iowa as a red zone state take a number of mitigation measures including enacting a statewide mask mandate and ramping up testing in university communities.

When asked about state and local officials rebuffing some of those recommendations, Salinas said hes hopeful federal, state and local leaders will take seriously public health and scientific guidance.

Im hopeful that they will continue monitoring the trends of COVID, and that they will continue evaluating and hopefully implementing some of the recommendations that are coming from experts, he said.

While Iowa City has enacted a mask mandate, there is no statewide rule. And unlike Iowa State University, the UI did not require students to get tested before moving into residence halls.

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Salinas said typical student activities and experiences can serve as super-spreaders for COVID-19 like Greek events, bar hopping and house parties and he said shutting those down for the time being can only help. Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered bars in six counties including those in Iowa City to close until at least Sept. 20.

But with some members of the UI community continuing to demand administrators move all courses online, Salinas said the time might have passed for any benefit of doing so.

If the students were not here, yes it could decrease the incidence here in Johnson County, he said. However, now we know that many of them carry the virus and what we would be doing is transferring the virus to other locations. So the problem has changed, has evolved, has become a bit more complex. Asking students to leave town would not necessarily decrease our overall incidence as a state.

But going online only for colleges that have not yet started back, which includes Mount Mercy University and Cornell College, could prove helpful in curbing the spread, Salinas said.

And Iowas campuses will have to consider lessons from this fall in deciding how to proceed in the spring, he said.

Its very clear that many colleges are learning from the experiences that they are going through, Salinas said. And its very clear that these experiences will influence the way things are done in the future.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com

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University of Iowa expert worries students will spread COVID-19 to other communities over Labor Day weekend - The Gazette

2020 has been remarkably stressful from the fear of nuclear war to a presidential impeachment to a pandemic that has killed more than 186,000 Americans as of September 3. And lets not forget the record unemployment, the school closures, the police killing of George Floyd and other people of color, the months of protests against police brutality and systemic racism, and accelerating climate change.

Many Americans are understandably feeling anxious about this cascade of events on top of any stressors they may have already been dealing with. The technical term is, Its a lot, says Linda Goler Blount, president and CEO of the Black Womens Health Imperative.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey of 5,412 people in late June found that 31 percent were experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression, about three times the number of respondents who said the same in the first two quarters of 2019. Another 26 percent reported symptoms of a trauma- or stressor-related disorder. Eleven percent of people said they had seriously considered suicide in the previous 30 days.

Now some researchers are asking if stress especially chronic stress might be another preexisting condition that makes Covid-19 infections worse.

Our bodies have evolved to respond in the moment to stressful situations, both physical and emotional. This is often called the fight-or-flight response, and it helps us react quickly to danger. But when this becomes a long-term response, these involuntary reactions can be harmful.

There isnt a single agreed-upon definition of what chronic means, though some researchers think stress that persists for weeks or months likely qualifies. Generally, People thinking about something consistently over time qualifies as a chronic stressor, says Paula Braveman, director of the Center on Social Disparities in Health at the University of California San Francisco.

Other researchers say an important feature of chronic stress is its instability, of not knowing whether or when the stressor will end. (The pandemic seems to fit the bill.) Still others define it as the bodys inability to return to base level amounts of important hormones, often developing a new, elevated normal for stress hormones such as cortisol.

Cortisol is an important part of the stress response, and new research suggests cortisol levels appear to impact the severity of Covid-19. Theres still a lot we dont understand about the relationship between the two, but clinical trials of a Covid-19 treatment using dexamethasone a drug that reduces the bodys natural cortisol production, as well as inflammation has been found to help critically ill patients.

High levels of cortisol are associated with poor [Covid-19] outcomes, and drugs that block the hormone seem to improve outcomes, says Kavita Vedhara, a University of Nottingham professor of health psychology who is conducting an ongoing study on Covid-19 and stress. Vedhara says that while further research is needed, she wouldnt be surprised if chronic stress was found to be a risk factor for a severe case of Covid-19. It fits with what we know about psychological stress generally, and in particular the evidence on stress and other viral infections, she added.

Understanding how stress impacts Covid-19 could hold clues for preventing or reducing the severity of infections, as well as responding to the inequities that put some racial and minorities groups at greater risk.

Fifty years of research on stress suggests it has a profound effect on the body, influencing everything from memory to the way the body stores fat. Its even been found to cause structural changes in the brain.

In general, Chronic stress wears the body down, says Kathryn Freeman Anderson, a sociology professor at the University of Houston. Over time, stress keeps the body locked into a heightened response, resulting in damage somewhat similar to an engine idling for too long.

Prolonged stress also weakens the immune system. In 1991, scientists studying the relationship between psychological stress and immune response intentionally exposed 394 healthy participants to one of five respiratory viruses, including a coronavirus. The subjects were then quarantined and monitored. Even after controlling for factors like age, sex, education, weight, and prior antibody status, the researchers found that a persons underlying stress levels were associated with an increased risk of getting sick. Since then, dozens of studies have shown that chronic stress increases the risk of not only catching the common cold but also developing conditions such as asthma and Alzheimers disease, among others.

Chronic stress can also make vaccines less effective. One study compared the vaccine responses of 32 caregivers of a spouse with dementia a role associated with chronic stress against 32 subjects in a control group. After vaccinating both groups against influenza, the researchers found that the caregivers stress was associated with a lowered antibody response, meaning less protection against the flu.

Conversely, in 2018, Vedhara designed an experiment for 138 older adults to see whether a positive mood could have a protective effect. For two weeks before and four weeks after their annual flu shot, participants self-reported how they felt using a diary. Vedhara found that psychological influences, including stress and mood, influenced participants antibody response. (Stress responses are often measured by observing specific emotional states.)

Vedhara found that if participants felt unstressed and upbeat, particularly on the day they were vaccinated, the vaccine worked better. The effect on antibody production was about as large as the effect of statins on cardiovascular events. These are very tangible, very profound effects, Vedhara says.

Similar results have also been seen in young people: A 2018 study of 83 undergraduates found that people with a positive affect feelings of happiness and positivity had better antibody responses to a vaccination. Affects, or observable emotions, are impacted by stress, both for better and worse.

One study found that people who had a negative affect in response to daily stressors over the course of a week meaning they dont recover well from daily stress had poorer physical health in the long term. Another study of 8,542 participants found that a positive affect not only helped reduce the damaging effects of stress but was also associated with lower mortality rates. Further research is needed into what actually causes these differences. It may be for both behavioral and neurobiological reasons; when stressed, people might behave in ways that hurt the immune system, such as by drinking alcohol or not getting enough sleep.

But stress also influences the concentration of many hormones, including cortisol, that impact the production of antibodies. During the fight-or-flight response, the brain activates a network that includes the pituitary and adrenal glands. These glands release cortisol and other hormones that keep the body on high alert. But cortisol also turns out to have a surprising place in the immune system: Most immune cells also have a receptor for it. This means theres a direct mechanism by which cortisol can regulate immune cells and our immune system, Vedhara says.

When people have chronically high levels of cortisol from being stressed, they end up with lots of inflammatory cytokines. High levels of cytokines have also been noted in severe cases of Covid-19, as have lower levels of lymphocytes, the white blood cells that help fight infections.

Scientists are looking for other direct relationships between chronic stress and Covid-19. Besides cortisol, other important hormones, including one called Ang-II, are impacted by stress; Elevated levels of Ang-II have already been associated with severe Covid-19 cases.

Although most of us have experienced more stress this year, chronic stress, like so much else, tends to affect some individuals, like people of color, more than others.

In April, during the early stages of Covid-19, Vedhara found that Black, Asian, and other ethnic minorities in the UK reported feeling more stressed than white people, even after accounting for age, gender, and working situation. These same communities also reported disproportionate deaths from Covid-19.

According to CDC data, Blacks, Native Americans, and Latinos all have age-adjusted hospitalization rates around 4.7 times higher than the rate of white people. A Black person with Covid-19 is almost four times more likely than a white person to die from it.

Goler Blount says its frustrating that the data is often reported without context. Its not because theyre Black, its because of the experience of being Black, Goler Blount says.

Discrimination doesnt stay in the realm of mental health, says Anderson. We can actually measure the physical impact on the body. In the 1990s, public health researcher Arline Geronimus studied what the experience of racism does to the body and found that racial inequalities not explained by poverty existed across a range of biological systems. She called the health consequences of the large and small stresses caused by racism weathering and this kind of erosion is more than a metaphor.

Multiple studies show that an experience of discrimination increases cortisol levels, and the effects accumulate over a lifetime.

Chronic stress can start damaging health and affecting gene expression even before birth. A number of studies have linked stress with shorter telomeres, a protective casing at the end of DNA strands that is diminished each time a cell divides. Shortened telomeres have been linked to increased disease and shorter lifespan.

Though telomeres can be repaired by an enzyme called telomerase, stress and cortisol exposure reduces the bodys supply of the enzyme. One study found that the higher a mothers prenatal anxiety, the shorter her babys telomeres were, raising questions about whether stress risks can be inherited. If true, this might amplify the disproportionate effect chronic stress has on people of color.

Another line of research has shown that if young people experience systemic discrimination, it can trigger higher levels of cytokines, magnifying the impact of future stress on their health. A study by the Yale School of Public Health found that by middle age, women who had frequent experiences with discrimination had significantly higher levels of visceral fat, putting them at higher risk for serious conditions such as heart disease and diabetes (two risk factors for severe Covid-19). In older adults, stress changes the levels of hormones involved with blood pressure and contribute to hypertension, another risk factor for Covid-19.

Its not just the experience of discrimination, but also the fear and anticipation of racism that cause harm. The vigilance, the concern itself is a strain on the body, says Brenda Major, a professor and social psychologist at the University of California Santa Barbara. She says the recent videos and other coverage of police killings and protests against police brutality are themselves a source of stress. Reading about people like you being shot and killed can itself heighten concern, fear, and vigilance, says Major.

UCSFs Braveman says chronic stress is also structural, tied to how we track people into unhealthy places and expose them to unhealthy conditions over their lifetimes. She says the US culture perpetuates racism and its stress even when there is not a particular individual intending to discriminate.

We dont have to look far for examples of how communities of color are disproportionately exposed to environmental pollutants like cancer-causing chemicals and fine particulate matter that can cause respiratory illnesses, as well as a higher risk of natural disasters environments that are often sources of stress themselves, as well as an indirect stress when friends and family become ill. This is literally the environmental impact on us, and its how our bodies are responding, says Goler Blount.

To better understand how stress both recent and long-term might be impacting individuals risk for Covid-19, many researchers are conducting experiments.

Following up on her April survey of almost 4,000 people in the UK and New Zealand, Vedhara is now asking participants to send in a small hair sample. Shell use this to measure cortisol, investigating how self-reported mental health over the course of the pandemic results in measurable physical changes. Shell also look to see whether cortisol levels are associated with being infected with Covid-19 and the severity of illness.

Already, other research suggests that cortisol is tied to worse Covid-19 outcomes. In a recent study of 535 people published in The Lancet those with confirmed cases of Covid-19 had much higher levels of cortisol than those who did not. After taking measurements within 48 hours of being admitted to the hospital, the scientists found that a doubling of cortisol concentration was associated with a 42 percent increase in mortality.

More research is needed, but in the meantime, Vedhara notes that while the known risk factors for severe Covid-19 cases age, ethnicity, and preexisting conditions are largely out of our control, there are ways to improve mental health. We dont know yet how much reducing stress might help protect against severe Covid-19, but there may be measures that can be used now to reduce anxiety overall.

Understanding the source of stress can be helpful in figuring out how to manage it. The first step is to understand what is giving rise to those negative feelings, Vedhara says. Some stress is emotion-focused like the ongoing uncertainty of when the pandemic will end and can be reduced through skills like mindfulness. For instance, when patients with colorectal cancer meditated at the beginning of chemotherapy treatments, it improved their cortisol response.

But changing personal behavior cannot combat structural sources of stress. (Meditation is certainly not a cure for the stress of systemic discrimination.)

One of the most striking features of [self-reported stress in April], Vedhara says, is that it was strongly related to how much people were worried about contracting Covid-19.

A recent study suggests the high numbers of Black, Latinx, and Asian people dying from Covid-19 might actually be an underestimate. Goler Blount says a Black Womens Health Imperative analysis found that in the next three years, every Black person in the US will lose someone they know to Covid-19 or its long-term consequences. Vedhara suggests this demonstrates a need for more effective public health interventions, rather than psychological ones.

As the pandemic continues to take thousands of American lives each day and as other economic, safety, and logistical stresses mount Goler Blount says stress is only accumulating. All these things are connected. We are here, all in the middle of this, grieving.

Lois Parshley is a freelance investigative journalist. Follow her Covid-19 reporting on Twitter @loisparshley.

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Covid-19 risk factors: How chronic stress and coronavirus might be linked - Vox.com

News Release

Monday, August 31, 2020

A multi-site, Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating an investigational COVID-19 vaccine known as AZD1222 has begun. The trial will enroll approximately 30,000 adult volunteers at 80 sites in the United States to evaluate if the candidate vaccine can prevent symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The United Kingdom-based global biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is leading the trial as regulatory sponsor. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, are providing funding support for the trial.

Safe and effective vaccines will be essential to meet the global need for widespread protection against COVID-19, said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. Positive results from preclinical research led by NIH scientists supported the rapid development of this vaccine candidate, which has also showed promise in early-stage clinical trials.

The Phase 3 trial is being implemented as part of Operation Warp Speed, a multi-agency collaboration led by HHS that aims to accelerate the development, manufacturing and distribution of medical countermeasures for COVID-19. The Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) public-private partnership also guided the development of the trial protocol to ensure a coordinated approach across multiple vaccine efficacy trials. NIH experts have emphasized the importance of a harmonized process to generate data for multiple investigational vaccines in parallel to assess the relative effectiveness of each.

NIH is committed to supporting several Phase 3 vaccine trials to increase the odds that one or more will be effective in preventing COVID-19 and put us on the road to recovery from this devastating pandemic, said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. We also know that preventing this disease could require multiple vaccines and were investing in those that we believe have the greatest potential for success.

Oxford Universitys Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group developed AZD1222. The candidate vaccine was licensed to AstraZeneca for further development. The vaccine uses a non-replicating chimpanzee adenovirus to deliver a SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to induce an immune response. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19.

Scientists at NIAIDs Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML), based in Hamilton, Montana, conducted a preclinical study of AZD1222. Their findings recently published in Nature indicate the candidate vaccine rapidly induced immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 in mice and rhesus macaques. A single dose of the vaccine protected six rhesus macaques from pneumonia caused by the virus. Based on the RML data, a Phase 1 trial of the candidate vaccine began on April 23 in healthy volunteers in the U.K. Investigators recently reported promising results in The Lancet. Currently, the vaccine candidate is being evaluated in Phase 2/3 trials in the U.K. and Brazil and in a Phase 1/2 trial in South Africa.

The NIAID COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN) will participate in the Phase 3 clinical trial of AZD1222 in the U.S.The CoVPN is composed of existing NIAID-supported clinical research networks with infectious disease expertise and is designed for efficient and thorough evaluation of vaccine candidates and monoclonal antibodies for the prevention of COVID-19.

Ann R. Falsey, M.D., professor of medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine in New York, and Magdalena E. Sobieszczyk, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, will serve as coordinating investigators for the trial.

Volunteers 18 years and older are eligible and must provide informed consent to participate in the trial. Participants will be randomly assigned to the investigational vaccine group or the placebo group, and neither the investigators nor the participants will know who is assigned to which group. After an initial screening, participants will receive two injections of either the investigational vaccine or a saline placebo approximately four weeks apart. One person will receive a placebo injection for every two people who receive AZD1222, which will result in approximately 20,000 people receiving the investigational vaccine and 10,000 people receiving a placebo.

The trial primarily is designed to determine if AZD1222 can prevent symptomatic COVID-19 after two doses. The trial also will evaluate if the vaccine candidate can prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection regardless of symptoms and if it can prevent severe COVID-19. It also will assess if the experimental vaccine can reduce the incidence of emergency department visits due to COVID-19.

Participants will be closely monitored, particularly after injections, for safety and reactogenicity, which refers to symptoms usually mild and self-limiting that can occur after vaccination. Investigators will evaluate participants after each vaccination and will ask participants to record any symptoms after returning home as well. An independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) will provide oversight to ensure the safe and ethical conduct of the study.

Participants will be followed for two years after their second vaccination. They will be asked to provide blood and nasopharyngeal samples at their initial visit and will be asked to provide blood samples periodically for the duration of the trial. Scientists will examine the blood samples in the laboratory to measure and characterize immune responses. The severity of the disease observed will be measured and used to assess the activity of the investigational vaccine.

Participants suspected to have COVID-19 will be asked to undergo a nasal and nasopharyngeal swab for testing. Participants who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection will be followed closely and referred for medical care if symptoms worsen.

Adults who are interested in joining this study can visit Coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org or ClinicalTrials.gov and search identifier NCT04516746.

NIAID conducts and supports research at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website.

About the COVID-19 Prevention Network: The COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN) was formed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the U.S. National Institutes of Health to respond to the global pandemic. Through the CoVPN, NIAID is leveraging the infectious disease expertise of its existing research networks and global partners to address the pressing need for vaccines and antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. CoVPN will work to develop and conduct studies to ensure rapid and thorough evaluation of vaccines and antibodies for the prevention of COVID-19. The CoVPN is headquartered at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. For more information about the CoVPN, visit: coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org.

About HHS, ASPR, and BARDA: HHS works to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans, providing for effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health, and social services. The mission of ASPR is to save lives and protect Americans from 21st century health security threats. Within ASPR, BARDA invests in the innovation, advanced research and development, acquisition, and manufacturing of medical countermeasures vaccines, drugs, therapeutics, diagnostic tools, and non-pharmaceutical products needed to combat health security threats. To date, BARDA-supported products have achieved 55 FDA approvals, licensures or clearances. To learn more about federal support for the nationwide COVID-19 response, visit http://www.coronavirus.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIHTurning Discovery Into Health

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Phase 3 Clinical Testing in the US of AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Begins - National Institutes of Health

Since the COVID-19 pandemic first surfaced in the United States, the number of cases and deaths in long-term care (LTC) facilities has been rising. As of August 20, 2020, over 70,000 COVID-19 related resident and staff deaths have been reported in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, which is a conservative estimate because not all states publish these data. The increase in deaths among long-term care facility residents and staff has become an urgent concern for federal and state policymakers, the long-term care industry, family members of residents, residents themselves, and the general public.

While COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths in nursing homes have received a fair amount of attention, assisted living facilities (ALFs), which are home to over 800,000 mostly frail, elderly residents, have been largely overlooked. Unlike nursing homes, assisted living facilities are not federally regulated, leaving states to decide whether or not to publicly report data or to impose restrictions to protect residents. This analysis examines the impact of COVID-19 on assisted living facilities as well as changes over time, using state-level data on COVID-19 cases and deaths reported in early June 2020, and again in early August. These counts are a subset of the state-level COVID-19 cases and deaths in all long-term care facilities, including nursing homes, as reported in other KFF analyses. (See Methods for details).

As of August 2020, 19 states identify COVID-19 cases or deaths specific to assisted living facilities, an increase of four states since June 2020. Of these 19 states, 13 [CO, CT, FL, KY, MA, NV, ND, OH, PA, RI, TN, TX, UT] report COVID-19 data for assisted living facilities in its own, distinct category, and 6 [CA, GA, LA, NC, NY, SC] report COVID-19 data for assisted living facilities along with congregate settings other than nursing homes (Tables 1 and 2). This leaves 31 states and DC that do not identify COVID-19 cases and deaths occurring in assisted living facilities specifically, as of August 2020.

CASES: As of early August 2020, a total of 22,080 COVID-19 cases have been reported among residents and staff in assisted living facilities, based on the 18 states reporting COVID-19 cases data. This total reflects both the number of cases among 14 states that were reporting this information in June and the addition of 4 states that started reporting since then. Among the 14 states that reported COVID-19 cases in both June and August, the number of cases among residents and staff has increased by 66% and the number of cases among residents only has increased by 63%. This is an undercount because it is based on data reported by a minority of states.

As of early August 2020, a total of 7,626 cases were reported among assisted living staff in the 14 states reporting staff cases, including 6 states that started reporting since June. Among the 8 states that reported in both June and August, the number of staff cases has increased by 156% from 2,085 to 5,333 cases in early August.

DEATHS: As of early August 2020, a total of 2,651 deaths among residents and staff have been reported in the 14 states that identify COVID-19 deaths specific to assisted living facilities, including the 10 states that reported deaths in both June and August, and 4 states that started reporting since June. Among the 10 states that reported deaths in both June and August, the total number of deaths increased by 59% from 1,483 to 2,356 deaths in early August. The majority of reported COVID-19 deaths are among assisted living facility residents (2,257); a relatively small number represent deaths among staff (99).

As of early August 2020, a total of 99 deaths were reported among assisted living staff in the 7 states reporting staff deaths, including 2 states that started reporting since June. Among the 5 states that reported in both June and August, the number of deaths has increased by 219% from 31 to 99 deaths in early August.

In the 10 states reporting cumulative COVID-19 CASE numbers for assisted living facilities in both June and August, the percentage increase in the aggregate number of COVID-19 cases in the population overall was significantly greater than the percentage increase in aggregate resident and staff cases in ALFs (223% versus 61%). But the opposite is true in the states reporting cumulative deaths in assisted living facilities. In the nine states reporting cumulative DEATH data for assisted living facilities separately from nursing homes, the aggregate percentage increase in COVID-19 deaths occurring in the overall population in these states was roughly half of the increase in resident and staff deaths occurring in ALFs between June and August (36% vs. 60%).

Despite intense scrutiny of the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in nursing facility settings, less than half of all states are reporting data for COVID-19 in assisted living facilities specifically. As a result, it is difficult to know the extent to which residents and staff in assisted living facilities have been affected by COVID-19 or the extent to which interventions are urgently needed. Our analysis finds a significant increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths among residents and staff in assisted living facilities in the two-month period between June and August. The rise in cases among staff is especially noteworthy. Notably, four out of five states [CA, FL, NV, SC] with the largest increase in cases among staff are also considered hotspot states with widespread community transmission. The rise in COVID-19 cases among staff is most likely to disproportionately affect female, Black, and low-wage workers, based on a recent analysis.

Since COVID-19 data for assisted living facilities are reported separately from nursing facilities by a minority of states, the counts of cases and deaths presented in this analysis are undoubtedly conservative. Compounding this data limitation, states that do report for assisted living facilities separately from nursing homes vary significantly in what they report: some states report cases, but not deaths, and some do not report cases or deaths among staff. In fact, only seven states separately report deaths among staff working in assisted living facilities. Additionally, while some states (e.g., NY, LA) have been reporting cumulative case and death data dating back to early March, others do not specify the start date of their retrospective data reporting, leading to potential undercounts of cases and deaths that have occurred since the beginning of the pandemic. The reporting of active cases only by some states (such as Florida) is likely to result in an undercount of the true magnitude of cases and deaths since the numbers do not take into account cases and deaths that may have occurred but are no longer active.

Overall, the incomplete system of state-level reporting of COVID-19 data in assisted living facilities results in an incomplete picture of disease incidence and mortality among staff and residents in these facilities. Based on data from the states that do report, outbreaks in assisted living facilities, and protections for residents and staff, warrant more careful attention.

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Overlooked and Undercounted: The Growing Impact of COVID-19 on Assisted Living Facilities - Kaiser Family Foundation

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now reached more than 25.4 million globally, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The number of confirmed coronavirus deaths now stands at more than 850,000.

India has reported 69,921 new coronavirus cases, taking its overall total to nearly 3.7 million. It represents the lowest daily jump in six days.

New Jersey and California, USA, are to allow limited indoor dining again. New Jersey will lift restrictions from Friday, while the easing in California will only take effect in 19 counties where transmission rates are lower.

Spain has registered more than 23,000 new COVID-19 cases since Friday, the country's health emergency chief told a press conference yesterday.

The European Commission has said it will contribute to a World Health Organization (WHO) vaccine initiative. The Commission will provide 400 million euros (US$479.5 million) in guarantees to COVAX.

Victoria, Australia has reported its lowest rise in virus-related deaths in two weeks. Positive tests were at a seven-week low. The state was the epicentre for an outbreak of cases in the country.

The first global pandemic in more than 100 years, COVID-19 has spread throughout the world at an unprecedented speed. At the time of writing, 4.5 million cases have been confirmed and more than 300,000 people have died due to the virus.

As countries seek to recover, some of the more long-term economic, business, environmental, societal and technological challenges and opportunities are just beginning to become visible.

To help all stakeholders communities, governments, businesses and individuals understand the emerging risks and follow-on effects generated by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Marsh and McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group, has launched its COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications - a companion for decision-makers, building on the Forums annual Global Risks Report.

The report reveals that the economic impact of COVID-19 is dominating companies risks perceptions.

Companies are invited to join the Forums work to help manage the identified emerging risks of COVID-19 across industries to shape a better future. Read the full COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications report here, and our impact story with further information.

2. Disruption to health systems

The survey covered 105 countries from March to June 2020, and found that low- and middle-income countries faced the greatest difficulties.

Most countries reported that elective and routine services were suspended. But, critical care, such as cancer screening or HIV therapy, has also seen interruptions in low-income countries.

Disruption has been highest in low-income countries.

Image: WHO

"The survey shines a light on the cracks in our health systems, but it also serves to inform new strategies to improve healthcare provision during the pandemic and beyond, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "COVID-19 should be a lesson to all countries that health is not an either-or equation. We must better prepare for emergencies but also keep investing in health systems that fully respond to peoples needs throughout the life course."

3. Can't 'pretend the pandemic is over': WHO

"If countries are serious about opening up, they must be serious about suppressing transmission and saving lives," he said. Opening up without control over the virus is a 'recipe for disaster', he added.

And, while the WHO supports efforts to re-open economies and societies, he stressed the need to do this safely.

"No country can just pretend the pandemic is over."

He outlined the four essential things that everyone can do to 'take control' of the virus.

1. Prevent amplifying events, where clusters of people gather.

2. Reduce deaths by protecting vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and essential workers.

3. Individuals should protect themselves and others by avoiding the 'three Cs' - closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings.

4. Governments must take action to find, isolate, test and care for cases, and trace and quarantine contacts.

Excerpt from:

COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 1 September - World Economic Forum

No one is immune to the effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Although the United States has >4 million confirmed cases and >144000 deaths at the time of this writing,1 COVID-19s effects on individuals and communities extend far beyond hospitalizations and mortality. Pandemics disturb individual and community well-being through direct effects of the illness and through emotional isolation, economic loss, work and school closure, and inadequate distribution of needed resources, among others.2 Previous research highlights consequences of pandemic mitigation efforts (such as quarantine) on stress, depression, fear, anger, boredom, stigma, and other negative states.3 Adults already report worse psychological well-being now as compared to before COVID-19.4 Because data suggest that children might less frequently transmit5 or become severely ill from the virus,6,7 the unique consequences that COVID-19 exerts on children risk being overlooked. Data on child and family well-being during COVID-19 are sparse, yet recent reports of increased family violence are ominous.8 Given the body of knowledge of the damaging effects of toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences on

Address correspondence to Ryan J. Coller, MD, MPH, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of WisconsinMadison, 600 Highland Ave, Madison, WI 53792. E-mail: rcoller{at}pediatrics.wisc.edu

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COVID-19 and the Well-being of Children and Families - American Academy of Pediatrics

Workers watch the crowd below outside Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2018. (Photo: Jake Crandall)

AUBURN More than 500 Auburn University students tested positive for COVID-19 between Aug. 22-28. That's more than double the previous week's total of 202.

Four hundred and ninety on-campus students tested positive, as did 18 fromthe Auburn University Regional Airport and one from the E.W. Shell Fisheries Center.

Eight employees (faculty and staff) also tested positive.

Auburn did not share how many tests were conducted last week, so it's not clear what the positivity rate is.

UPDATE:A university spokesman told theAdvertiserthat the number cannot be accurately tracked those 490 positives include both tests conducted by the Auburn University Medical Clinic and self-reported positives from other testing sites, and the AUMC tests more than just students.

"You can't take that positive number and use it in a denominator or numerator situation with the other number," the spokesman said, "because they don't match."

Asince-deleted postbyAUMC to itsFacebook page Tuesday morning said that 567 of 1,416 total samples (40%) came back positive, but that information has not been corroborated.

AUMC director Dr. Fred Kam said Auburn University has seen no hospitalizations as a result of COVID-19.

"Not unexpected," Kam said of the more than 500 positive tests. "In fact, my expectation was going to be over 700.

"When you put together as many people as we have, students coming back together, the expectation is that there will be, again, a spike;an ongoing increase in numbers. That's to be expected, not unexpected. These are relatively young, healthy people who are going to socialize. They've done that. We've gone through two or three weeks of them interactingwith each other and not taking all the preventative measures, something that we keep pushing and educating about. But it is a challenge."

Auburn has now discovered 1,043 student cases on campus since March 16. Seven hundred and thirty-three of those have come over the past three weeks, and that does not include any students might have gone somewhere other than AUMC to get tested and did not self-report results. Only 859 tested positive prior to returning to campus as part of the state-wide GuideSafe re-entry program.

Lee County reported a single-day record 109 confirmed new cases on Friday and has seen its seven-day average increase from 11.3 on Aug. 17 (the first day of classes) to 64.1, according to Bama Tracker.

"We expect to see multiple spikes, as least three to four, between now and Nov. 24," Kam said, referencing the final day of the fall semester (finals will be conducted remotely in December.

This story will be updated if more information becomes available.

Josh Vitale is the Auburn beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. You can follow him on Twitter at @JoshVitale. To reach him by email,click here. If you enjoy Josh's coverage, consider a digital subscription that will give you access to all of it.

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Auburn University reports more than 500 new COVID-19 cases in 1 week - Montgomery Advertiser